Divide Tunnel Now better known as the Brushy Mountain Tunnel, this 730-foot passage was called the Divide Tunnel by the railroad. Divide was a place on the mountain above the tunnel. It is about six miles east of Rockmart. Built by a Seaboard Air Line subsidiary, the Atlanta and Birmingham Air Line Railway, in 1904. It was abandoned by the railroad in 1988. It now serves the Silver Comet Trail, a 60-mile rail-trail built on much of the former right-of-way. Divide Tunnel was only 18 feet 4 inches high and 13 feet wide. After enlargement it became 24 feet high and 18 feet wide. In 1971-73, SCL enlarged the tunnel to accommodate tri-level auto rack cars and high level trailers in piggy-back service. At the time ten or more trains per day passed through the tunnel. The $1.5 million project required the drilling and blasting of 8,000 cubic yards of rock along with the installation of 340 tons of steel framework and 4,000 cubic yards of concrete in the tunnel's roof and walls. The contractor for the project was Cowin & Company, Inc. of Birmingham. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home